Full Chaps?

[ssandstr]

I have a pair I got in 1996 from Dave Thornbury (a legend in the Los Angeles area) - navy smooth leather, burgundy stripe, hunter green piping…my name embroidered on the back… I still have them and wear them all winter - with jeans and my winter paddock boots. (My first pair were black and green and had fringe - also customs from Dave - tore out the knee and boy did I outgrow them).

I stopped riding from 2000-2007 and was shocked that half chaps were a cool thing that people wore - because when I was a teen there was NO WAY I would wear half chaps. Now, of course, I love mine and wear them all year except winter (since I now live in New England and it’s ridiculously cold).

I don’t worry about jeans and full chaps b/c my saddle is a smith worthington and made of that tough british bridle leather that wears like iron. Not sure I would do jeans with a buffalo leather saddle.

[hunterprincez]

I have had two pairs of custom chaps in my riding career. I tried my last pair on when I went home to visit my parents a few months ago and they too had suffered from the strange “shrinkage” virus that is so common among the un-used custom chaps. I got both of mine made by Nancy Fay in New Mexico. http://www.turningpointleather.com/chaps.htm
I LOVED mine. If they could be cured of the “Shrinkage” virus I would wear them in a heartbeat!

[findeight]

Generally, as they…shrink…you end up wearing them over breeches anyway since you can’t get them zipped over regular weight jeans.

If they are a good fit over regular weight jeans, they may be a bit baggy over breeches and you could get a rub or two. Best solution is stick to thinner denim jeans or breeches and you’ll be good either way…this is something to think about when you get measured. Thick jeans add at least 1/4".

[billiebob]

[QUOTE=BeccaFaulkner;7867371]
At risk of sounding silly… did anyone wear their full chaps over breeches or was is only jeans? I would love to jump on the full chap band wagon but I’m worried that jeans would wear on the seat of my calfskin saddle and I’m not sure how full chaps would work over breeches…[/QUOTE]

I wear mine over breeches all the time. Just not the full seat ones. They’re also quite comfortable over yoga pants.

When I moved out here I lost about 40 pounds and was worried about having to get new full chaps…and then winter hit and I figured out I can fit two pairs of fleece breeches under them. Win.

[mvp]

[QUOTE=Nickelodian;7865827]
My fulls made by journeyman:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a3d625b3127ccef39deef7557e00000030O08QcNmzJsxaA9vPhQ/cC/f%3D0/ls%3D00004160266820130804212700371.JPG/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a3d625b3127ccef39c1759357800000030O08QcNmzJsxaA9vPhQ/cC/f%3D0/ls%3D00004160266820130804212700603.JPG/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10430901_10152471525542960_218786930925900895_n.jpg?oh=93255d69bd306c82c91700dde92da4e2&oe=55172927

(ignore the goofy selfie)

They are chocolate smooth leather, chocolate lizard trim, light purple piping, double fringe in purple and chocolate. Monogrammed belt, snap front.

I got them in 07 and want to say they were 800?

I love them more than words.[/QUOTE]

That’s what I’m talkin’ about.

If you really wanted to see “fancy” at an AA show in the 1990s, you went to the schooling ring the day before the show started and watched the Beautiful People in their custom chaps.

[kmwines01]

I loved mine from Journeyman. Beige/tan with hunter green and darker tan piping, snap buckle. Unfortunately my really bad pinching at the knee habit killed the knees even with a patch job Too many holes to be useful now. And they’ve probably gone through the mysterious shrinkage as well Haven’t had the courage to try them on, lol.

The newer tall boots are soft and sticky now it probably isn’t as big a deal but I remember as kid thinking my tall boots were so incredibly slippery after wearing my full chaps.

[Hippolyta]

I have had a pair of the cheap suede (you cut the length for yourself) for decades. Still good, worn smooth inside the legs. Fantastic for trails through the brush & for the winter. I am the only one I know that still wears them.

[Sing_Mia_Song]

I still have my Beval chaps that I got in 1988: black smooth, hunter green stripe, tan piping, my name needlepointed on the back. LOVED them, but I did find that when I showed in boots and breeches, I felt like I was sliding all over the place. I still dig them out if it’s really cold and I’m riding a greenie that I need to stick to like glue!

[jn4jenny]

For everyone complaining of “permanent shrinkage”: http://chapinserts.com/

I ditto someone else’s advice that Kat should borrow some full chaps before taking the plunge. Kat, you may not like them. Or you may not find them to be the winter-riding panacea that you’re imagining. And I say this as someone who owns and loves my ProChaps Full Chaps, and I live in Ohio too. But my full chaps only get pulled out when Under Armour + Wind Pro fleece breeches aren’t cutting it. And that’s basically just 15 degrees or less with a lot of wind.

If you were hoping they’d keep you warm during chores or while traipsing through muddy paddocks, consider the cleaning implications of traipsing through mud and muck in suede or a full leg of leather. Or if you don’t plan to don your full chaps until right before you ride, consider the implications of putting them on/off repeatedly in cold weather. Does your barn have a heated area where you can do this? If not, you may find yourself in the cold, wrestling with leather or suede (which tends to be less flexible in the cold), possibly/probably with your gloves off, wrangling with a cold metal zipper. Not as glamorous as it sounds.

Cleaning suede = not fun. Cleaning smooth leather = okay I guess, but it’s one more piece of leather to clean during the cold season.

Your butt might still be cold.

As soon as you purchase a lovely pair of full chaps, you will catch a ride on a horse whose saddle is delicate calfskin that can’t cope with the friction from the full chaps.

If you misjudge the sizing, full chaps–especially custom ones–are not an easy resell.

As others have mentioned, not everyone is comfortable in full chaps.

The price of additional grip and warmth all the way up your thigh = additional bulk. It’s an acquired taste.

As others have mentioned, you might grow out of them.

Just some food for thought.

[Madaketmomma]

When I started riding again as an adult (after a 12 year break) the first thing I did was buy a pair of custom full chaps. I have rarely used them because they just never seem as comfortable as I remember full chaps being as a kid. Here is my question that I am hoping someone will answer:

As a kid I always wore my chaps so tight that my friend would have to use pliers to pull the zippers down for me. Now, that is just not a choice and nobody would want to see that tightness! But, with even the slightest movement I find that I get rubs. My trainer and his wife both zip their chaps down like it’s nothing, they are that loose, and they have no issues. What gives?? Why do I get rubs so easily in chaps if they are second skin?

[Secret_Dove]

[QUOTE=ybiaw;7867795]
That’s just the calf stretching out. You can have them taken in![/QUOTE]
I thought about doing that. If I can find them when I start riding again I’ll think about doing that.

[DMK]

when it comes to rubs, everyone is their own special case. My chaps are never super tight and depending on how well the diet is going, possibly even a tad loose. I wear them over jeans. I have never have a problem with rubs (or wearing out my saddle seat - a butet, went 10 years and then I finally replaced the seat because I figured I better do it while I had time/money and before it developed a tear… not that it actually had, but it probably would have within a year or two… still 10-12 years + french saddle - that’s more than most people wearing breeches get out of those seats).

But guess what can give me a rub? boots/breeches - right where they meet at the knee.

So clearly it is what works best for you and nothing works for everybody!

[Lieslot]

Timely thread, this recent cold weather is having me considering riding in full chaps.
Anyone familiar with the ProChaps? Good or bad reviews?
I’m contemplating ordering a pair.
I’m just wondering how warm they’d be, it reads as if you want a really snug fit, almost compression fit.

http://www.prochaps.com/usd_en/prochaps-athletic.html/

[MuddyHalter]

My beautiful 1996 Journeymans are also suffering from inexplicable storage shrinkage. As I only use full chaps sporadically during the winter, I’m going to try these this year: http://www.sstack.com/product/ovation-blizzard-fleece-thinsulate-chaps/. They’re certainly not customs, but they look warm and should fit over my Thinsulate paddock boots.

[theblondejumper]

I will never forget some random day at my high school barn we were digging out the tack room and found a really decent pair of suede full chaps! I inherited them and wore them in winter maybe for 2 or 3 months before they uh…shrunk…

I’d like to invest in some nice full chaps though. Can’t say that my calves have changed much over the years…

[Dewey]

jn4jenny, your PM inbox is full. Wanted to consult you about a saddle.

[jn4jenny]

[QUOTE=Lieslot;7870161]
Timely thread, this recent cold weather is having me considering riding in full chaps.
Anyone familiar with the ProChaps? Good or bad reviews?
I’m contemplating ordering a pair.
I’m just wondering how warm they’d be, it reads as if you want a really snug fit, almost compression fit.[/QUOTE]

I wrote about mine in this post: http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?60308-Womanly-sized-riders-unite!&p=7846628#post7846628

You’re right to be mindful of how stretchy they are, as I describe in that post. They do add another layer of warmth, but I’m wearing them over Wind Pro breeches (<–already very warm) and haven’t worn traditional full chaps for 15 years, I’m the wrong person to ask about exactly how much warmth they’re adding. The leather piece only goes from above the knee down to the ankle, so in terms of grippyness, it’s more like wearing an extended-patch breech than a true set of full chaps that extends the leather all the way up to your crotch. Other than the leather patch, the rest of the chap is this stretchy, woven, long-lost-cousin-of-neoprene wicking material with an articulated knee area. The front yoke is adjustable elastic with a plastic buckle, which is a little more forgiving/unobtrusive than the traditional leather strap with metal buckle. They also have a built-in elastic stirrup to slide under your boot, similar to what you’d see on most half chaps; whether that’s a pro or con = in the eye of the beholder. I happen to like it, but I generally only ride one horse daily and put the chaps on right before I ride. If I rode multiple horses a day and was slogging in/out of the barn, that feature might really piss me off because I wouldn’t be able to just unzip the chaps and roll 'em up every time I went outside.

In short, I like 'em, but YMMV. Check Ebay before you buy. There’s a few folks trying to dump their mis-sized ProChaps there.

[doublesstable]

[QUOTE=DMK;7870079]
when it comes to rubs, everyone is their own special case. My chaps are never super tight and depending on how well the diet is going, possibly even a tad loose. I wear them over jeans. I have never have a problem with rubs (or wearing out my saddle seat - a butet, went 10 years and then I finally replaced the seat because I figured I better do it while I had time/money and before it developed a tear… not that it actually had, but it probably would have within a year or two… still 10-12 years + french saddle - that’s more than most people wearing breeches get out of those seats).

But guess what can give me a rub? boots/breeches - right where they meet at the knee.

So clearly it is what works best for you and nothing works for everybody![/QUOTE]

I get rubs at the knee and boot too. If I wear Animo breeches I don’t get the rub. I used to get the rubs on the inside of my shins but riding horses where I can use my leg and not ride off my knee resolved that.

I wear jeans under my chaps but I have a few favorite pairs of jeans that are stretch type jeans. I don’t think I would wear jeans that are thick and don’t stretch.

[MintHillFarm]

I LOVE my full chaps…they are custom from Journeymen in Middleburg. I went to Beval to be measured. They are 10 yrs old + and still look great. I paid $600+ back then. They are a lighter chocolate with darker chocolate pin strip, tooled back and silver buckle and tab.

The fit is outstanding; I was very picky about the height up and around the top of the thigh. I wanted them way up, no sagging or drop. I wear breeches with paddock boots instead of jeans, as they rub my Butet.

The chaps are perfect, would likely only get them from Journeymen again…

Never been a fan of the 1/2 chaps, but that is just me I guess!

[Dewey]

[QUOTE=jn4jenny;7869230]
For everyone complaining of “permanent shrinkage”: http://chapinserts.com/

I ditto someone else’s advice that Kat should borrow some full chaps before taking the plunge. Kat, you may not like them. Or you may not find them to be the winter-riding panacea that you’re imagining.[/QUOTE]

That was my advice earlier in the thread. :winkgrin:

Actually, jn4jenny–this will just be a quick sidetrack. Your PM box is full again, so I’ll just take this opportunity to say thanks so much for your advice about the saddle. I’m disappointed about the Genesis, but I’m glad to know that it wouldn’t be suitable before I tried it. Will cross it off the list. As for the Roxane VSS, I have long suspected that it might be the perfect saddle for me and had been scooping them out online before I got sidetracked by Genesis-infatuation. Thanks again.

Everyone else, please continue talking about chaps.